Turbomachinery Design Engineer — High-Performance Propulsion

Orbital Operations; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbital Operations seeks a Turbomachinery Mechanical Design Engineer to develop high-performance pumps, turbines, and rotating assemblies for our cryogenic propulsion system. You will guide the hardware lifecycle from architecture trades through manufacturing, assembly, and testing.

This hands-on, high-ownership role operates in a fast-paced startup environment, requiring collaboration with propulsion, fluids, manufacturing, and test teams to deliver reliable, flight-ready hardware.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of turbomachinery design and development.
• 5+ years overall engineering experience.
• 2+ years CAD experience, preferably Siemens NX.
• Experience taking complex mechanical hardware through design, fabrication, assembly, and test.
• Strong understanding of fits and tolerances, bolted joints, fatigue, thermal growth, and high-speed rotating machinery.
• Experience producing production-quality GD&T drawings per ASME Y14.5.
• Working knowledge of metallic materials, coatings, heat treatments, and turbomachinery manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Own turbomachinery hardware from requirements through flight qualification.
• Develop detailed component designs, GD&T, and tolerances for rotating and stationary hardware.
• Perform or coordinate structural, thermal, rotordynamic, fluid, and life analyses across operating conditions.
• Collaborate with propulsion, fluids, manufacturing, test, and avionics teams to define interfaces and integration points.
• Define component and assembly test objectives, instrumentation requirements, acceptance criteria, and data-review processes.
• Support component and assembly testing and data review as needed.

Skills

Turbomachinery design

Mechanical design fundamentals

GD&T proficiency

Team collaboration

Education

B.S. in mechanical or aerospace engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Orbital Operations seeks a Turbomachinery Mechanical Design Engineer to develop high-performance pumps, turbines, and rotating assemblies for our cryogenic propulsion system. You will guide the hardware lifecycle from architecture trades through manufacturing, assembly, and testing.

This hands-on, high-ownership role operates in a fast-paced startup environment, requiring collaboration with propulsion, fluids, manufacturing, and test teams to deliver reliable, flight-ready hardware.